Centre for Monitoring Democratic Processes «Quorum»

A change of the US missile defence system architecture will help integrate into it various radar and missile weapon systems, including Russian ones. The opinion was ventured by the Pentagon Chief Robert Gates as he commented on the US abandonment of the plan to deploy missile defence elements in the Czech Republic and Poland.

The US Defence Secretary has most likely implied the radar station in southern Russia, which, if included in the US missile defence system, will help close all gaps in the coverage of Iran’s territory. After all, this was the basic declared reason for deploying the elements of the US missile defence system in Europe. The issue is still subject to discussion but Moscow is known to have suggested that Russia and the US take up the issue when George Bush was still the man in the White House.

By now the world community, above all, Europe, is commenting on reactions to Barack Obama’s decision that was made public Thursday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have supported the US Administration’s decision. The leaders of the Czech Republic and Poland have also shown loyalty to Washington. The Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said specifically that the change in the US plans would in no way affect the constructive bilateral relations. But the Czechs at the grass-root level have taken the news differently. This is what the Chairman of the Czech Humanist Party Jan Tamas says about it in a comment.

Our political elite, Jan Tamas says, is divided on the issue. The politicians who exerted themselves to ensure that the US radar would be deployed in the Czech Republic are discontent and offended; some even claim that the US President has betrayed the interests of the Czech Republic. Other politicians who were opposed to deploying the US military base in our country are happy.

But in general, Obama’s decision has not come as a bolt from the blue, says an expert with the Czech association for international cooperation Karel Svoboda, and elaborates.

Everyone expected, Karel Svoboda says, that no missile defence system would ever be deployed in the Czech Republic. When Obama came to power, he questioned the need for the missile defence system elements in Europe. Society in the Czech Republic was against deploying a US military base in the country, since the base in question was taken as an anti-Russian move. After all, the reasoning that the would-be radar was against Iran looked absolutely unconvincing.

Most Poles also claim that the US Administration’s move was quite predictable. This is what a Polish MP Tadeusz Iwinski says on the subject.

I believe, Tadeusz Iwinski says, the US authorities’ decision was perfectly predictable. The Polska Lewica party has always opposed the deployment of the US missile defence system elements in Poland. It was prior to the US presidential election that we said that it would be a major error to sign an agreement on deploying the missile defence system elements. Perhaps, Washington’s decision has been prompted by the financial crisis, but I personally take it with understanding and satisfaction. Most Poles are opposed to deploying the US missile defence system elements in their country.

Most Poles may have been opposed to a deployment of the US missile defence shield in Poland, but some politicians have responded angrily to the change in Obama’s plans. This is the way another Polish MP Mateusz Piskorski comments on the situation.

As seen by Poland’s rank and file, it is a very good piece of news, Mateusz Piskorski says, but the political circles that have been trying to build strategic relations with the United States for a number of years see the news as definitely bad. All signs are Poland’s pro-US quarters have found a common language just with the George Bush Administration, but not with the Barack Obama Administration. President Kaczynski of Poland must have pinned great hopes on close Polish-US cooperation. But all other politicians, including Prime Minister Tusk and the opposition parties, hoped that no US systems would ever be deployed in Poland. They all carefully read sociological poll returns.

It is safe to state therefore that Europe has welcomed the US signal and is opposed to any further confrontation between the West and Russia.